2012 A Wrecking Ball Year

Yeah this one is over. It wasnt a good year. However, I really believe that you get tested at just the right level you are at - kind of a cosmic thing. You build up experiences at your current level which helps you face harder times down the line. That's what 2012 felt like to me and that's why I'm using a Springsteen song to sum it up.

Usually I reserve my loudest off-key singing at a Springsteen concert for Born to Run or Badlands. Not this year. It turned out to be Wrecking Ball a song originally written to memoralize the old Giants Stadium. I noticed it subtlety show to show. Then the words started speaking to me as the year went on as we took one blow after another. Even started playing the album at the start of most work days.

Work World 2012

I've seen champions come and go. So if you got the guts mister, yeah, if you got the ballsIf you think it's your time, then step to the line, and bring on your wrecking ball

2012 started off really really badly. Most of my political worked rested on Michele Bachmann's run for the Republican nomination that ended in Iowa in January. It wasnt like I didnt see that coming. I started working on her campaign for congress for the 2010 race and helped her win the Iowa Straw poll but everything unraveled after that. Once you lose a candidate in a primary season, you are (at least on the Republican side) done for the Presidential election and even though it was for the better, it still is a tough pill to swallow after running Senator McCain's Presidential digital advertising.

I thought I still had one of my longest running clients, but either Mitt Romney or a senior staff member (I know who it is) had my fired from running digital for the RNC even though we as an agency were doing awesome work. They were a favorite client. In fact, Jacob helped re-tag all of their click through links in Google, campaign by campaign during bring your child to work day. So by June 2012 it looked like a really bad ending was in store, but I had a ton of non-Political clients come through which is awesome and the political clients
picked up, so guess what, 2012 ended on a good note and I feel excited heading into 2013.

Eric's Health World 2012

And all our youth and beauty, it's been given to the dust. When the game has been decided and we're burning down the clock. And all our little victories and glories have turned into parking lots. When your best hopes and desires are scattered through the wind.

Like a lot of married with kids guys that work at home, I had a hard time keeping weight off. And with the occasional binge eating that I've been known for, I wasnt the picture of good health but with my first diverticulitis attack in 2011 I stayed away from certain foods and loaded up with fiber. Yeah that helped for a while until the middle of May and the pain returned; it didn't go away. I was on antibiotics from May until the end of July. I had a PICC line in my arm for the month of July. I couldnt drink alcohol. I couldnt eat red meat. I couldnt eat anything with significant fiber. No fresh fruits. No fresh vegetables. No pool. No exercise. No fun. 3 separate hospital stays totalling 15 days. Our big vacation for the year in Spain was cancelled (yeah we had trip insurance). It ended with colon surgery.

But I dropped 30+ pounds. I started running again. I've gotten up to 6+ miles at a clip and I signed up for a run in Disney World in May. Most weeks I run around 25 miles. I cut down on red meat to no more than 2 meals per week. I dont drink as much. I feel good. I turned a bad situation into a good one.

Family 2012 Recap

And hard times come, and hard times go And hard times come, and hard times go And hard times come, and hard times go And hard times come, and hard times go And hard times come, and hard times go Yeah just to come again

It was a hard year. Cancer that didn't go away. In laws that were in and out of the hospital. Jacob had a leg injury that kept him out of soccer for 5-6 weeks. There was one point where Mary was in St. Claire's Hospital because her kidneys were blocked and I ended up in Morristown with a serious diverticulitis attack. Yeah not kidding - 2 separate hospitals at the same time. As I wrote above, we didn't make it to Spain so I ruined Jacob's chance to play overseas but it was for the better, because, well, I could have been in a serious state with a colostomy bag.

However, as usual we rolled with the punches although they definitely hurt this year. We had a good time down the Jersey Shore and an awesome trip in Disney World (as usual). The kids dont even seem to remember that the Spain trip was cancelled. Perhaps the 6 nights we saw Springsteen, three of them right against the stage in the pit, helped us, well maybe they helped me. The Giants delivered a Super Bowl and we celebrated with them by going to the parade in NYC AND the celebration at Giants Stadium.

You know what also helped me? I read and analyze the Torah every week. I probably study once per day. It's good to get your brain working on something else.
It's good to read about biblical challenges because maybe your challenges arent so great.

Running also helps. Not just physically but mentally. When you start running again, you are slow and cant run far, but if you keep going, you can build up strength and endurance. When are you going for a 50 minute run, you need to schedule it, keep it high priority, and realize that 50 minutes isnt that long. That is good planning advice.

It's good to have friends. It's good to have family. It's good to have people around you. You learn who you can count on.

We have a big Bar Mitzvah coming up. Other than that I don't have high expectations for 2013. I'm just hoping for a good healthy year. So raise up your glasses and let me hear your voices call. Because tonight all the dead are here, so bring on your wrecking ball.

PardonMyFrench,

Eric

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